ENCORE #78! – Breast Cancer In Fiction

From the first moment my wife discovered she had breast cancer, there was a deafening silence from the men I know. Even ones whose wives, mothers or girlfriends had breast cancer seemed to have received a gag order from some Central Cancer Command and did little more than mumble about the experience. Not one to shut up for any known reason, I started this blog…That was four years ago – as time passed, people searching for answers stumbled across my blog and checked out what I had to say. The following entry appeared in October of 2014.

I just found out a week ago that I had sold my first novel. It’s a coming of age, urban young adult book about a biracial boy who LIKES to fight and the realization that he has to STOP if he wants to get ahead in life.

In my spare time, I’m also a “first line of defense” – what’s called a first reader in the publishing industry – for an online science fiction magazine. The editor’s wife is also a breast cancer survivor, and they sent me a story to share with my wife. It was witty and sharp – which is the way I prefer my humor (except for the occasional slapstick routine that makes me laugh so hard I can’t breathe…).

It got me to thinking: how much “breast cancer fiction” is there out there? I started a novel here some years ago in which I was re-writing FANTASTIC VOYAGE – a novel written by Isaac Asimov...based on a MOVIE script written by Henry Kleiner...which was based on a STORY written by Otto Klement and Jerome Bixby...(and because the novelization of the movie, everyone (myself included) thought that Asimov had come up with the idea and written the novel from which the movie was made – which was a lot of effort for almost no feedback.

I decided to check and see in what works of fiction breast cancer appeared. So here’s my list and except for the one story I read above and the one I’m in the middle of writing, I can’t vouch for any of these.

According to Amazon.com, there are 328 works of fiction that deal with breast cancer. I notice on perusal that many of them are “self-published”. While this doesn’t mean anything bad, it CAN mean that a manuscript was edited by an amateur and have some of the problems that that implies. I have tried to stay with novels released by other-than-self publishers.

Positively Beautiful, by Wendy Mills – http://www.amazon.com/Positively-Beautiful-Wendy-Mills/dp/1619633418/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1414237990&sr=1-1&keywords=breast+cancer+fiction

Before I Go, by Colleen Oakley, http://www.amazon.com/Before-I-Go-Colleen-Oakley/dp/1476761663/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1414237990&sr=1-2&keywords=breast+cancer+fiction

Cancer Vixen, by Marisa Acocella Marchetto, http://www.amazon.com/Cancer-Vixen-Marisa-Acocella-Marchetto-ebook/dp/B00O02CAZC/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1414237990&sr=1-7&keywords=breast+cancer+fiction

Love In Bloom, by Sheila Roberts, http://www.amazon.com/Love-Bloom-Sheila-Roberts/dp/1250046475/ref=sr_1_46?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1414238785&sr=1-46&keywords=breast+cancer+fiction

All That Glitters, by Jennifer O’Neill, http://jenniferoneill.com/?page_id=570

And of course…

The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan, http://www.amazon.com/The-Middle-Place-Kelly-Corrigan/dp/1401340938/ref=zg_bs_4673_4

I MAY read these. I may not. I MAY start my novel, A FANTASTIC BREAST CANCER VOYAGE again...I may not. Even so, at least we know that there are people out there brave enough to write about it. Now if only I can find a novel about a breast cancer HUSBAND...hmmmm...

Image: https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5527/10893068965_1d328e8f71_b.jpg

BREAST CANCER RESEARCH RIGHT NOW! #58: Recurrence...Even a SMALL Weight Loss Can Lower Breast Cancer Risk and Recurrence

From the first moment my wife discovered she had breast cancer, there was a deafening silence from the men I know. Even ones whose wives, mothers or girlfriends had breast cancer seemed to have received a gag order from some Central Cancer Command and did little more than mumble about the experience. Not one to shut up for any known reason, I started this blog…

Every month, I’ll be highlighting breast cancer research that is going on RIGHT NOW! Harvested from different websites, journals and podcasts, I’ll translate them into understandable English and share them with you. Today: http://www.breastcancer.org/research-news/lower-risk-with-modest-weight-loss

Because it's the holidays, this one will be short and sweet (hmmm...I just realized that this is more of a pun than I intended...)

“In addition to lower breast cancer risk, losing weight also can help lower any inflammation in your body and also reduce your risk of heart disease and other conditions [including diabetes].”

After moving into our new choice of lifestyle – using Weight Watchers^® and teaming TOGETHER – we’ve both lost 30+ pounds and are both feeling better and looking better.

Curious about how my wife’s weight loss might affect the recurrence of BC, though it’s a bit late for reducing the risk of breast cancer, I discovered that “Melinda Irwin, Professor of Epidemiology from Yale University…found that 66 per cent of breast cancer survivors were overweight and obese, and only one in three were meeting physical activity guidelines…[She] also found that a marker associated with breast cancer mortality is reduced by 30 per cent when women reduce their weight by just five per cent. Insulin pathways within the breast tissue were also seen to change in ways that are linked to lowering cancer risk and mortality.”

These articles are NOT talking about surgical weight loss, or stomach stapling, or even expensive weight-loss programs. They’re talking losing amounts that a normal, thoughtful person might be able to do living an average life and skipping the occasional DQ Blizzard. “…you didn’t have to go down to a normal weight. This was a weight loss that was achievable by women making their own decisions, probably very few of them got into formal programs, and so the idea is that you don’t have to… get back to my weight when I was 22 years old…You just have to lose about 5% and you will have a likely health benefit.”

Keep on working toward health! Have a very Merry Christmas, a Happy Holiday, a powerful Kwanzaa, or simply enjoy the beginning of Winter as we begin the slow trek to Spring.

Resources: https://www.weightwatchers.com/us/; https://nbcf.org.au/news/research-news/weight-loss-can-help-reduce-risk-of-breast-cancer-recurrence/

Image: http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/01/24/article-2267714-17247D96000005DC-718_634x551.jpg

ENCORE #77! – Bone Density Scan

From the first moment my wife discovered she had breast cancer, there was a deafening silence from the men I know. Even ones whose wives, mothers or girlfriends had breast cancer seemed to have received a gag order from some Central Cancer Command and did little more than mumble about the experience. Not one to shut up for any known reason, I started this blog…That was four years ago – as time passed, people searching for answers stumbled across my blog and checked out what I had to say. The following entry appeared in August of 2014.

The word today is “osteoporosis”.

My wife just had a “bone density scan” done and the doctor said that the indications are that she has the beginning stages of this disease.

So I thought I’d take a step back and do a “translating the doctors” column.

First of all – why does the bone density of a breast cancer patient matter. (I won’t be using the last letter of the alphabet, a question mark or the mathematical symbol for nothing – they have stopped working.) At any rate, bone density matters: “Osteoporosis is a condition in which the bones become less dense and more likely to fracture.”

Sounds simple enough. Factors that figure into the disease are on this site, too. The problem is that: “Women who have had breast cancer treatment may be at increased risk for osteoporosis and fracture for several reasons. First, estrogen has a protective effect on bone, and reduced levels of the hormone trigger bone loss…Studies suggest that chemotherapy also may have a direct negative effect on bone. In addition, the breast cancer itself may stimulate the production of osteoclasts, the cells that break down bone.”

In order to monitor patients during treatment and afterwards, doctors do something called a “bone scan”. What’s THAT mean (question mark)

Here’s a simple explanation of what happens: “The DXA (= Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry) machine sends a thin, invisible beam of low-dose x-rays with two distinct energy peaks through the bones being examined. One peak is absorbed mainly by soft tissue and the other by bone. The soft tissue amount can be subtracted from the total and what remains is a patient's bone mineral density…it feature[s a] special software to compute and display the bone density measurements on a computer monitor.”

The question now is does this mean you should panic – and the doctor’s advice is “NO!” While osteoporosis can’t be “cured”, you can take steps to lessen the effects. “Getting enough calcium and vitamin D is essential to building strong, dense bones when you're young and to keeping them strong and healthy as you age.”

And you do that by eating well “…food is the best source of calcium. Dairy products, such as low-fat and non-fat milk, yogurt and cheese are high in calcium. Certain green vegetables and other foods contain calcium in smaller amounts. Some juices, breakfast foods, soymilk, cereals, snacks, breads and bottled water have calcium that has been added. If you drink soymilk or another liquid that is fortified with calcium, be sure to shake the container well as calcium can settle to the bottom.”

In our case, my wife is planning to increase her calcium intake – while she uses the chocolate “calcium chews”, she’ll add in the foods.

So if SHE’S not panicking, no reason for anyone else to panic! Be smart and eat well and take the drugs prescribed. If we end up going that route, I’ll do another post. But for now, this is what we know!

Resources: http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Bone/Osteoporosis/Conditions_Behaviors/osteoporosis_breast_cancer.asp, http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=dexa, http://nof.org/articles/10#CALCIUMSOURCES

Image: https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5527/10893068965_1d328e8f71_b.jpg

GUY’S GOTTA TALK ABOUT #39…Looking Forward To the Day It’s All Just A Bad Memory

From the first moment my wife discovered she had breast cancer, there was a deafening silence from the men I know. Even ones whose wives, mothers or girlfriends had breast cancer seemed to have received a gag order from some Central Cancer Command and did little more than mumble about the experience. Not one to shut up for any known reason, I started this blog…

Since the chemotherapy ended a couple of years ago, we don’t talk about cancer any more.

Sometimes that’s strange; sometimes it’s an attempt to, not exactly pretend, but block out parts of those years. Like when I see the Christmas picture the family took that year, I see many things that were different – my daughter-in-law is pregnant with our SECOND grandchild.

Dad doesn’t have Alzheimer’s.

Mom is alive.

My great-niece hasn’t been born yet.

My nephew, my niece, and my daughter are all still unmarried.

Everyone is smaller.

Mom and Dad are in the center and the rest of us are gathered around them…

And then there’s my wife. She has no hair. She’s standing just a few months post-chemotherapy.

So much has changed that a little thing like breast cancer shrinks to “just one more thing”. It sounds like it should be a huge part of our lives forever and while it IS, it’s no longer the monster it seemed back then. Of course there are shadows of “recurrence”. Of course there are consequences for fighting back against so horrible a disease.

But, I have a strange feeling this is exactly as it should be. Once beaten, we SHOULD bury the demon; or cast it back into its fiery Hell to burn with the rest of the trash that gathers around lives both lived well and lived badly. But maybe she SHOULD forget. My daughter and I both shake our heads when my wife says, “I just don’t remember that much from that whole time.”

My daughter and I look at each other and one of us says, “We do.” Because it’s true. We remember every treatment, every suction bag draining, every bandage change, every tear shed, every moment of hopeless horror, every bag of Red Devil poison pumped into her bloodstream targeting the fastest growing cells in the body – which is why hair growth cells (follicles) died along with the cancer cells. We remember it; and are thankful that my wife DOESN’T.

It’s something that should stay forgotten, and if I have unexpected flashbacks, that’s OK so long as the cancer stays beaten and my wife continues to enjoy her job, our kids, kids-in-law, foster kids, grandkids, and old friends. Puzzles are a joy again rather than a distraction from pain; food is fun rather than a chore.

It’s OK to forget some things. I look forward to the day that this is all so long past that it’s barely a bad memory.

Image: http://wrex.images.worldnow.com/images/23784252_SA.jpg

ENCORE #76! – 12 Inspiring Quotes From Men Who Care For Women With Breast Cancer – or Who Have Survived Breast Cancer Themselves

From the first moment my wife discovered she had breast cancer, there was a deafening silence from the men I know. Even ones whose wives, mothers or girlfriends had breast cancer seemed to have received a gag order from some Central Cancer Command and did little more than mumble about the experience. Not one to shut up for any known reason, I started this blog…That was four years ago – as time passed, people searching for answers stumbled across my blog and checked out what I had to say. The following entry appeared in June of 2014…

“For people who don't know me, I practiced medicine in Casper, Wyoming for 25 years as an orthopedic surgeon, taking care of families in Wyoming. I've been chief of staff of the largest hospital in our state. My wife is a breast cancer survivor.” – John Barrasso (US Senator, Wyoming)

“Men are incredible caregivers when given the opportunity. But they are underserved in education about support,” – Marc Heyison (Author, Founder – Men Against Breast Cancer)

“At the clinic she went to, they said, ‘Here is some information,’ and it was a tri-fold paper that said what to expect, and to be supportive, he recalled. Well that’s not really enough. You need more than that. I tried to get help, but there was nothing there to go to.” – Chris Wrobel (Husband and caregiver of a breast cancer survivor)

“All of the reality TV I've done has usually been simultaneously an opportunity to create awareness or raise funds for my mom's breast cancer organization.” – Stephen Baldwin (American actor, director, producer and author)

“One of the things we've always tried to do is help others with our story. Whether it's with the infertility issues, whether it's with the breast cancer, we said we're gonna turn these negatives into positives. And if we can help others by sharing our story, then it's worth it.” – Bill Rancic (Husband and caregiver of Giuliana Rancic, Italian American television personality and journalist)

“I have experienced firsthand the tremendous impact breast cancer has on the women who fight it and the loved ones who support them. This is a disease that catches you unaware and, without the right resources, leaves you feeling frightened and alone.”

– Ricardo Antonio Chavira (American actor, Desperate Housewives, and son of a breast cancer victim)

“Men get it. I think us men need you women to help us survive.” – Peter Criss (Drummer from the heavy metal band KISS)

“I learned that it is better to tell people what they mean to us now, rather than to save it for a eulogy at a funeral service.” – David (breast cancer survivor)

“We all know people – mothers, sisters, daughters, neighbors – who have dealt with breast cancer, and it’s wonderful when we know people who are really surviving.” – G Roy Duhé (PhD, breast cancer researcher)

“When we embrace uncertainty, it can be very liberating. If you can accept the uncertainty, it allows you to live life every day.” – Victor Gospodinoff (Caregiver and husband of breast cancer survivor)

And lastly, something I said that resonated…with me…

“From the first moment my wife discovered she had breast cancer, there was a deafening silence from the men I know. Even ones whose wives, mothers or girlfriends had breast cancer seemed to have received a gag order from some Central Cancer Command and did little more than mumble about the experience. Not one to shut up for any known reason, I started this blog…” – Guy Stewart

Resource: http://www.menagainstbreastcancer.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/bookComplete-1.pdf 

Image: https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5527/10893068965_1d328e8f71_b.jpg